Who Knew Patricia Field Was Such a Technophile?

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A woman stops Patricia Field on Maiden Lane outside of Britex Fabrics to compliment the designer and stylist on her flaming red hair. How many times does that happen each day? "About three. I hope they love me, and I don't care why they love me. As long as they love me. Because that makes me happy. When I can make somebody happy for whatever reason; whether that's red hair or some idea. There's nothing better than that."

As she trails off, it's hard not to think of the myriad ways Pat has brought happiness to the fashion the world over the course of her distinguished career. While her design work spans decades, Field became a household name in the 90s for creating the Sex and the City looks that women across America scrambled to copy. Even now, Field's influence on American dressing remains obvious. T-shirts and tutus. Day sequins. Mixed prints. If you've rocked one of those looks, you can thank Field for making it mainstream. So when we caught up with the style icon last week before her stop at Benicia Fashion Runway, we were curious to find out how her most famous New York muse, Carrie Bradshaw, would have dressed if she lived in San Francisco.

"It's hard to answer that question. I'm not adept that well at this difference of San Francisco and New York style. I can imagine it's maybe a little more casual. But in general, today, I think fashion is global. You can go all around the world and people are dressed the same."

She may not have an opinion on East Coast versus West Coast dressing, but Pat is more vocal on another topic that's dear to the Bay Area: The role of technology in fashion. "Fashion has to move on," she says. "We have to join the technical revolution in the fashion world. Because it's here. We can't continue sewing and cutting, and sewing and cutting. It's too expensive in our world today; a world of how many billion people that need to wear something." Technology has to develop in the fashion industry, and it has to do with moulding instead of sewing."

Field imagines a future when clothes are made in a more efficient manner, but the designer is presently working on her debut as a movie producer. Though she hedges that the film is early in the development stages, she confirms that she has a script and it will be comedy. Stay tuned for laughs and lots of fabulous looks. And for a more immediate Field fix, check out her online store.
· Patricia Field [Official Site]
· One on One [Racked]